Top of the Order (4 for 4) [Paperback]

John Coy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2010 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: 4 for 4

Jackson’s mom is dating. Gig’s dad is going to serve in the Middle East. Isaac might be going to a new school. Diego spends his spare time working. These four friends lead different lives, but on the baseball field, they’re a strong team—the top of the order. As their last year of elementary school ends, the boys want to have their best baseball season ever. But this year, they might not even have enough players to stay in the league. Then a great player volunteers to join the team. But it’s a girl! And she plays with a pink glove! Now the team is coming apart at the seams. Will this end up being the worst season ever?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—Jackson approaches the end of fifth grade with mixed feelings: he's ready for middle school, but word is that eighth graders make life miserable for the incoming class. It's May, though, and now he's looking forward to baseball. The team has some great players, but is down a second baseman, and if one can't be found, the season is going to have to be forfeited. When Gig's sister shows up at practice, Gig is furious. But Sydney quickly shows her stuff, leaving Jackson in a quandary. Does he support Gig by trying to pressure her to quit the team, or does he put his feelings for the team ahead of their friendship? To further complicate matters, Jackson and his brother are shuffled back and forth between their divorced parents' households, and his mother is dating again. The adults in his life want him to challenge himself. Can't they see that his life is already full of challenges? Coy effortlessly captures the voices of boys on the verge of adolescence. Jackson and his friends are fully developed. Gig's perception of his sister as always showing him up comes through clearly, and when he tells Jackson, "Baseball was the one place I didn't have to deal with her. Now she wants to wreck that, too," students will appreciate the dilemma. Gripping play-by-play and a fast-moving plot will appeal to sports enthusiasts and reluctant readers.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

An unusual focus sets this girl-joins-a-team-of-boys tale apart from the general run of such. The Panthers have no one to cover second base, so when Sydney shows up with her pink glove, they reluctantly give her a go, even over the enraged objections of her brother, team pitcher Gig. But Coy leaves Sydney a peripheral character, building his main story around four fifth-graders at the top of the Panthers’ lineup: Gig; outfielder Isaac; power-hitting newcomer Diego; and Jackson, who narrates and plays shortstop until the catcher breaks an ankle. All four have individual issues, from a father about to ship to Afghanistan to the stress of shuttling between divorced parents, but they share a simple desire to win ball games—as well as anxiety over the rumored atrocities awaiting them in middle school. Keeping the tone light and folding in suspenseful game action, Coy underscores the importance of teamwork, bonding, and being open to change both on and off the field. Matt Christopher fans will recognize the pitch. Grades 4-6. --John Peters --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Square Fish (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312611110
• ISBN-13: 978-0312611118
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #834,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi, I'm the author of the picture books Night Driving, Strong to the Hoop, Vroomaloom Zoom, Two Old Potatoes and Me, and Around the World. Strong to the Hoop is also available in Spanish as Directo Al Aro and Two Old Potatoes and Me is available in Chinese.

I am a member of the NBA Reading All-Star Team as part of the Read to Achieve program. Crackback, my first young adult novel, is about high school football and my second, Box Out, is about high school basketball.

All four books in the 4 for 4 middle-grade series are now available: Top of the Order, Eyes on the Goal, Love of the Game, and Take Your Best Shot. The books follow four friends who love sports as they navigate the changes between elementary school and middle school with plenty of surprises.

I am currently working on a new YA novel and several picture books. I live in Minneapolis and visit schools nationally and internationally.

Check out www.johncoy.com for more information, and yes, it's fine to use the material for author studies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read Aloud Grand Slam for Third Graders, June 6, 2010

By 

Vicki A. Kroiss "3rd grade educator" (Kaukauna, WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Top of the Order (4 for 4) (Paperback)

I did this as an end of the day read aloud in my classroom and the students, both boys and girls, loved it. We had much discussion about real life reactions and problems almost on a daily basis and many would say "Keep reading" even after the dismissal bell would ring. Great read!

5.0 out of 5 stars Top of the Order, May 13, 2010

By 

clint Edwards "clintedwards" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Top of the Order (4 for 4) (Paperback)

Top of the Order is John Coy's first and long awaited mid-grade novel. This surprising and engaging story follows Jackson as he makes the transition between elementary and junior high. It leans on the foundation of an American pastime while illustrating the various challenges children face. With each difficult situation, Coy establishes Jackson as an open-minded kid looking for life's answers.

Jackson and his teammates, Gig, Isaac, and Diego, lead very different lives, each with various challenges. Jackson's parents are divorced and his mother has started dating. Isaac is being sent to a different junior high than his friends. Gig's dad has been placed on active duty and called to the Middle East. And Diego, the new kid in school, works weekends with his parents to help ends meet. Despite the differences in their lives, they are unified on the baseball diamond.

Jackson is conflicted, stuck between his dad and his delightful, yet sometimes frustrating, grandfather, G-man. G-man has a real passion for baseball and wishes for Jackson to join the traveling team, while Jackson's father wants him to do what feels right. Jackson's most stable ground is while playing with the Panthers, but even that gets rocky when Gig's sister, Sydney, starts playing second base. A rift runs through the team and Jackson finds himself, once again, in the middle. Gig asks Jackson to help convince Sydney to leave the team, but if she leaves, who will play second base? Despite Jackson's original objections to a girl on the team, he gradually matures and begins to see how committed Sydney is to baseball. As Jackson changes by watching Sydney's determination, he becomes a catalyst that shifts the perceptions of the team, elevating the Panthers to a new level of maturity. With the help of some good friends, Jackson accomplishes great things on and off the baseball field.

Top of the Order asks its young readers questions about equality, diversity, and obligation. John Coy does a great job balancing the elements of his story while fulfilling its purpose. Top of the Order is grounded in the concerns that young readers have while maintaining engaging and believable characters. The plot is fast paced, with gripping play-by-play action, and the humorous antics of Jackson and his teammates make it a fun read with an uplifting message. Through Jackson, young readers will discover how to be open-minded and to learn from the curve balls that life can throw.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Baseball Fan's Baseball Book, May 7, 2010

By 

Joe Chilli "Big Baseball Fan" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Top of the Order (4 for 4) (Paperback)

John Coy does it again. As a baseball lover, I often cringe when I read novels written by someone who never advanced very far in the game or did not even bother to do the necessary research. Coy displays an insider's knowledge of baseball that "those in the know", such as sportsloving fanatics and ballplayers, will notice right off the bat (sorry...).

The batter, for example, doesn't just "smack the ball." He "sees an inside fastball" and he "turns on the pitch". He "laces the ball down the line." And so on. Small touches like these really help the story jump off the page to a sports fan. Large ideas, like Coy's fast-paced and meaningful plot, just add to the mix. "Top of the Order" is one of those books that'll make an early morning train rider miss his stop.

Highly recommended.

--j.c.

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